Carlisle, PA : Crossover crash shuts down I-81 Wednesday in Silver Spring Township on Wednesday, 19th October 2016

Travel on Interstate 81 in Silver Spring Township came to a halt late Wednesday morning when a passenger vehicle crossed the median, resulting in a fiery crash.

Around 11 a.m. a passenger vehicle traveling south on Interstate 81 near mile-marker 58 crossed over the median and struck a tractor-trailer that was in the northbound lane, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

The tractor-trailer caught fire and struck another tractor trailer on the northbound side of the highway, police said.

“We have a really bad accident,” Cumberland County spokeswoman Megan Silverstrim said shortly after the crash. “From PennDOT’s traffic cameras you can see a large plume of smoke.”

Both lanes of traffic were closed to allow for a Life Lion helicopter to land.

The operator of the passenger vehicle was taken to Hershey Medical Center via Life Lion and a passenger in that vehicle was transported there by ambulance, according to police.

The crash caused back-ups and delays in the county as motorists attempted to bypass the closed-down highway.

Whenever a major crash occurs like this, Silverstrim said the county goes through several steps to notify motorists and first-responders of possible congested areas.

“We try to notify the public through the media and social media of road closures so that they can find alternate routes and not contribute to the congestion,” she said. “It is also important that we notify first-responders as we dispatch other incidents in the area so that they do not get caught in the backlog.”

She said the county also provides additional fire police as needed to help with traffic control and the county helps coordinate with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and other state resources.

Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to contact state police at 249-2121.

Source :
Crossover crash shuts down I-81 Wednesday in Silver Spring Township